Manjhi - The Mountain Man Review

Manjhi - The Mountain Man Movie Review

Average Ratings:2.88/5

Reviews Counted: 9Positive:6Neutral :2Negative : 1

From All the Top Critics reviews on the web

Ratings:3/5Review By:Shubha Shetty-Saha Site:Mid-day

Nawazuddin is brilliant as Manjhi. The film is carried solely on his frail but extremely capable shoulders. He goes from being a romantic lover boy to a half crazed middle aged man on a mission, with an admirable precision. At some points, Radhika Apte seems like she doesn't belong to the set up, but overall gives a decent performance. Watch it for Nawazuddin's performance, but more importantly, Dashrath Manjhi's awe inspiring self belief.

The graph he brings to his screen characte-- from a carefree lover to a burdened soul-- is the stuff that separates actors from many cardboard cutouts, loosely referred to as stars. Sultry Radhika shines throughout. Why this film that had so much potential doesn't deserve superlatives is because of the inconsistency in the story-telling. While some scenes leave you scarred and teary-eyed, others don't even scratch the surface.

Despite the fact that the film does not boast of having any chartbusting music, the music (Sandesh Sandaliya) is very situational and does not look out of place. Even though the film's editing (Pratik Chitalia) could have been a bit tighter, it is the film's cinematography (Rajeev Jain) and the Art department (Nitin Chandrakant Desai) that takes the cake. On the whole, MANJHI - THE MOUNTAIN MAN is a good film but will appeal mainly to Nawazuddin's fans. However, the film has potential to grow with word of mouth.

Manjhi - The Mountain Man pays a price for exactly the opposite - it errs on the side of excess. Its makers go overboard with the sturdy but rather stolid pieces available to them. A lighter touch might have made Manjhi - The Mountain Man a markedly more convincing biopic.

Dashrath’s early ebullience which springs from his defiant nature leads him into Phalguniya’s arms: their romance is earthy and playful and the two make us smile, but you keep getting the feeling that they were made to be more ‘filmi’ than was necessary. His later steely resolve, as he ages and withers, is better channeled because he has to play off only against himself, though again you wish he had been given more : what is the enduring relationship of man and the mountain? He starts with hate, and yet, he has to learn to know its contours to be able to break it. What keeps him going? Nawaz doesn’t get that depth and an inner life to play with.

This one is purely for those who love serious, meaningful cinema like the kinds of Masaan, and the ones who adore a gifted talent called Nawazuddin Siddiqui. If you are one of those, please book your tickets asap (i.e. if you haven’t watched the leaked copy by now. And if you have, you missed the larger experience! The laptop screen really doesn’t register the impact of a small man working against the mountain!).

What could have been a bland boring representation of a real life story, Manjhi turns out to be just like his signature dialogue- “Shaandaar Zabardast Zindabad”. This inspiring tale is appalling and gladly brilliantly executed. Manjhi is like India’s Thor – the man with the hammer and a determination even stronger than that!

Synopsis:Manjhi - The Mountain Man is an Indian biographical film, based on the life of Dashrath Manjhi. Manjhi, widely known as the "Mountain Man", was a poor labourer in Gehlaur village, near Gaya in Bihar, India, who carved a path through a mountain using only a hammer and chisel

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The courageous case of Dashrath Manjhi of Bihar is most likely the most inspiring saga of undying spirit, nerve-wracking guts, survival against all odds and the triumph of true love in modern India. Ketan Mehta’s MANJHI- THE MOUNTAIN MAN is a visual documentation of Manjhi’s arduous 22-year long struggle to bring a considerable change in the society he’s been rooted in. But in the stricture of a Bollywood film that also craves for approval of the entertainment-seekers! A win some, lose some situation!

Dashrath Manjhi [Nawazuddin] is an angry young man traumatized by his beloved wife’s unfortunate accidental death and tormented by the haunting memories of good old times spent with her. Describing the pain better in his own words, Manjhi states in the film, “Kuch bhulaye nahin bhoolta. Fillum si ghus gayi hai humar khopadiya mein, kabhi bhi kahin se shuru ho jaati hai…aage-peechhe, peechhe-aage’. The same vouches for another reference to the film’s back & fourth narrative. The remedy lies in the revenge. Manjhi must fight the evil; in this particular case, a mammoth, invincible and insensitive mountain. The true love needs to pass the test and the only way out is, “Don’t stop till it’s over.” And thus, begins the wrestle between the two taking 22 years to reach a climax in favor of the most unbeatable spirit of a helpless looking man with just a hammer and a chisel in his hands.

Ketan Mehta is blessed with an eagle eye to look out for inspirational real-life stories from the past [SARDAR, MANGAL PANDEY- THE RISING, RANG RASIYA] but this time, his luck takes a giant leap in terms of finding Dashrath Manjhi in Nawazuddin’s chameleon-beating talent of owning a character so much that it could blur all the lines in between the two. The film gets off-track more than a couple of times when Ketan decides to provide some half-hearted, easy, filmy and feeble elements of desperate entertainment values [His buffoonery act on the first encounter with his would-be wife, for instance] but don’t lose your faith in Nawazuddin as he constantly manages to surprise you with his unimpeachable acting skills. If watching him romance with one of the most sizzling actresses of today’s times Radhika Apte is delightful, then his monologues with the mountain are simply worth-whistling. You can’t afford to miss any of the expressions he wears on his face so responsibly. His performance can only be expressed better in his own words on screen, “Shaandar! Jabardast!! Zindabad!!!”

Radhika Apte as Manjhi’s wife is here again to win some serious accolades. Though she misses a shot or two while perfecting the pitch and parlance of a rural-tribal inhabitant, she is in good form. Tigmanshu Dhulia repeats his GANGS OF WASSEYPUR role as the mean & malevolent Mukhiya of the village. Late Asharaf-ul-Haque as Manjhi’s Father is pitch-perfect. This is probably the best and the lengthiest role of his lifetime. Heartbreakingly, he couldn’t be here to enjoy the praise. Prashant Narayan does his bit good in first part but later, returns only to kill it with a typecast transformation. Deepa Sahi surprises in her one and only appearance. Music is one big letdown. They try hard to sound authentically connected to the pace and the place but sadly, never reach the mark of satisfaction.

MANJHI- THE MOUNTAIN MAN is undeniably Ketan Mehta’s one of the bests; mostly because of two individuals. In Dashrath Manjhi, he finds an extraordinary hero who never surrenders to anything in his road to deliverance. And an excellent player of unswerving performance in his screen version Nawazuddin! Had it been less theatrical and more profound in its nature, MANJHI- THE MOUNTAIN MAN would have been definitely the best film of the year. The task is not completed but you’ll love the MAN at work! [3.5/5]

Ketan Mehta's Manjhi - The Mountain Man is certainly a movie worth watching for many reasons. The movie makes an earnest attempt to tell a biopic in an engaging and the most sincere way it could have been told. One of the most touching & inspiring love stories backed up by bravura performances and eloquent direction needs to be seen on Big Screen. I am giving it 4 1/2 stars out of 5. For my detailed review, please visit.............http://rohitmoviereview.blogspot.in/